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Chapter 443: Distortion

Thud, thud, thud.

As dust fell, I stared at the Demon Sword Queen with wide eyes.

Creak, crackle.

She was gazing at the shattered wall with fierce eyes, summoning Thunder Qi.

The sensation of that Thunder Qi was anything but ordinary. While there was no direct damage, the difference in aura was palpable.

Woo-ooh!

The pillars supporting the Great Hall began to tremble slightly.

It was the presence of the Demon Sword Queen.

“Ugh.”

“Cough…”

“Cough…”

Those weighed down by her presence gradually knelt. Even the Black Flame Sect, which had been holding on, wasn’t able to withstand it for long.

Barely managing to endure, I observed the Demon Sword Queen.

‘What’s wrong with her?’

I couldn’t understand.

Suddenly, not only had she slapped the Sword Demon, but now she was throwing a fit.

What on earth was going on?

While I was in utter shock at her behavior—

Kaboom—!

A rough explosion echoed from the wall where the Sword Demon had crashed.

Along with that, a killing intent surged, incomparable to before.

That damned wench—!!

With a savage roar, something flew out through the dust.

It was an attack imbued with Demon Energy.

Swoosh—! Boom—!

Then, intertwined with the sword the Demon Sword Queen wielded, it erupted with a resounding explosion.

I felt my body slightly shaken by the leftovers of the Demon Energy. The force contained within was extraordinary.

I endured the shock.

As I steadied myself, someone appeared in the distance with a distorted expression. It was the Sword Demon.

Creeeak—!

The Sword Demon ground her teeth, expressing her fury with every fiber of her being.

The Demon Energy coiling around the sword and the killing intent rising toward the roof proved it.

“This damned wench really wants to die, huh?”

“…”

The Demon Sword Queen didn’t utter a word in response to the Sword Demon’s furious remarks.

I sensed from her reaction that she seemed unwilling to engage in conversation.

“You wretched wench, just because the Great Lord keeps you by his side, you must think you’re something special?”

‘Hmm.’

Hearing the Sword Demon’s mockery, I pondered internally. A very fundamental question arose.

‘Why is that guy acting so cocky?’

It was baffling how the Sword Demon could be so inflated with confidence against the Demon Sword Queen.

Objectively speaking, while the Sword Demon wasn’t weak—holding a position leading a faction of the Demonic Sect—she still seemed lacking compared to the Demon Sword Queen.

The Sword Demon had always had an unusual hatred for the Demon Sword Queen.

‘Well, the same could be said for her.’

Although there might have been a few who favored the Sword Demon among the demons excluding the Demon Sword Inspection Team.

Regardless, it was clear those two had a terrible relationship.

“Did the wind beneath your skirt land you that position? Looks like you don’t know your place.”

“…”

Woosh.

At the Sword Demon’s words, the Demon Sword Queen responded.

A Sword Name began to radiate from the sword she was holding.

That sight made the Sword Demon smirk.

“Great! I’ll take you down here and claim your place for myself.”

‘Place?’

If the Sword Demon was referring to the seat of Deputy Lord of the Black Flame Sect.

‘Did she want that?’

Thinking back, that seemed about right.

She had questioned me several times about why the Demon Sword Queen occupied the Deputy Lord position while she had to handle the Inspection Team.

At those times, I had just beaten her away for being bothersome…

‘So that’s why she hates her so much.’

I hadn’t paid attention to it back then, but it crossed my mind now that it might actually be the case.

‘The reason she wasn’t made Deputy Lord.’

On a formal level, there would be no issue with the Demon Sword Queen taking the position of the Inspection Team’s Great Lord. Conversely, there was no problem with the Sword Demon being the Deputy Lord of the Black Flame Sect either.

In terms of capability, it wasn’t really an explosive matter.

The simple reason I had given the Deputy Lord position to the Demon Sword Queen in the first place was straightforward.

‘Because she’s stronger.’

Because the Demon Sword Queen was stronger; that was solely it.

If it were about being easier to handle, the Sword Demon would be less troublesome, but the position was awarded purely based on strength.

It seemed the Sword Demon couldn’t grasp that.

Click.

The Sword Demon adjusted her grip on the sword.

Then—

Swish—!

“Ugh!?”

The Demon Sword Queen caught my nape and tossed me backward.

I was bewildered by this sudden action.

Slash—!

The Sword Demon’s sword tip drew a line at that spot. I widened my eyes, watching in disbelief.

‘That bitch!’

The Sword Demon seemed to intend to eliminate me first, while acting as if she wouldn’t strike the Demon Sword Queen.

The speed was so fast that I hadn’t noticed it.

With the Demon Sword Queen blocking the Sword Demon’s attack, the latter showed a disappointed expression.

In an instant, Thunder Qi erupted from the Demon Sword Queen’s sword.

Crackle—!

Not overly spacious, but more than enough for high-ranking martial artists to engage in combat within the Great Hall.

Inside it, the Demon Sword Queen’s Thunder Qi began to erupt wildly.

I swallowed hard as I watched.

The Thunder Qi seemed to be in thousands of strands, dominating the surroundings.

‘No damage to the others.’

Surprisingly, it wasn’t harming the walls or the demons of the Black Flame Sect at all.

This meant she was fully controlling such a tremendous Thunder Qi even while battling.

“Ugh… Aah!”

“G-Great Lord…! Save me…! Haaah!”

While the Black Flame Sect was safe, those from the Inspection Team fared differently.

The Demon Sword Queen seemed uninterested in the others’ safety, pouring Thunder Qi indiscriminately over them.

The Sword Demon observed this with an indifferent face, ignoring them.

Her sole focus was on the Demon Sword Queen.

Kugh, kugh—!

A thick Demon Energy began to envelop the Sword Demon’s body.

Though fierce and grotesque, the power did not pierce through the Sword Demon’s Demon Steel Qi.

This was evidence that she, too, was not a weakling.

The Sword Demon moved.

Boom—!

It seemed she lightly leaped, but the ground sunk, sending vibrations throughout.

Fast.

‘I can’t see it.’

Crash—!

The Sword Demon, leaping from a distance, suddenly appeared in front of the Demon Sword Queen, who likewise drew her sword to intercept the Sword Demon’s blade.

As I observed, I was certain.

‘She can’t hold out.’

In my current state, I wouldn’t last a single second against either one of them.

Boom! Bang bang!

Lightning and blade met, releasing a fierce explosion.

It sounded as though the swords were roaring.

The impact generated by those thin sword blades was unbelievable.

Creak.

“…!”

I felt a sickening sensation from the shock that pushed my body back.

I couldn’t see their movements properly, and it wasn’t even my body taking the blow, yet this level of damage was significant.

The only things I could see were the brief sparks created as the swords collided and the sword paths left in the void.

Those traces were absurdly dazzling and chaotic.

In this brief moment, I could sense how many sword strokes had been exchanged between them.

Crrrack—!

A bolt of lightning crashed in the ceiling.

Screech! Bam—!

A mysterious sword strike severed one of the pillars.

‘This is dangerous!’

I rolled my eyes, surveying the surroundings.

Without a doubt, this was a tremendously dangerous situation. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Great Hall collapsed—perhaps everyone inside might even die.

‘What should I do?’

I didn’t care if the others died, but my own safety was the problem.

While I pondered how to stop those madwomen—

Clang—!

A spark flared briefly, and the silhouettes of the two appeared, having created distance between them.

I was left breathless at the sight.

To my surprise, instead of the Sword Demon having taken a loss, she looked completely fine, just like at the start.

On the other hand, the Demon Sword Queen, who I had expected would remain unharmed—

‘Her arm is injured…?’

Blood flowed from the hand gripping the Demon Sword Queen’s blade.

How on earth did this happen?

The Demon Sword Queen seemed to realize her own situation, frowning slightly.

Seeing the blood, it was clear her wound wasn’t shallow.

Hehe.

Seeing this, the Sword Demon couldn’t help but smile widely.

“Just as I thought.”

With a smug expression, the Sword Demon lifted her lips in a strange grin.

Then—

Swish.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, she directed the blade at me and continued speaking to the Demon Sword Queen.

“You must think he’s quite precious, huh?”

‘What?’

I wondered what the Sword Demon was saying out of the blue.

“…”

The Demon Sword Queen offered no denial.

“Seems to be quite significant, seeing you’d go as far as to lose an arm.”

“…!”

Only then did I begin to understand why things had turned out this way.

‘That bastard!’

During the exchanges of sword strikes, the Sword Demon must have been aiming towards me the whole time.

And the Demon Sword Queen had been injured while blocking for me.

Otherwise, there was no way the Demon Sword Queen would be wounded so easily.

“Just realized while you were brazenly flaunting around… Was he hiding a hidden son? But if that were the case, age aside, he definitely doesn’t look like it.”

Swish, swish—!

The Sword Demon spoke with clear delight in her voice, and yet her killing intent grew denser.

The Demon Energy and killing intent gradually seeped from the Sword Demon’s feet, starting to dominate the space within the Great Hall.

“Whatever it is doesn’t matter. The important part is she’s acquired a weakness.”

Kaboom—!

The Sword Demon’s purple eyes sharpened, and black smoke began to emanate from her lips.

Seeing the smoke, I couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

That was the kind of power only those of a certain caliber among demons could wield.

Meaning the Sword Demon was serious about killing the Demon Sword Queen.

The Demon Sword Queen understood this too, as she frowned slightly.

I couldn’t help but wonder inside.

‘Why isn’t she bringing out the Thunder Fang…?’

The Thunder Fang, her precious weapon and one of the Five Great Swords of the Central Plains.

Although the Demon Sword Queen’s innate power was ridiculously strong, holding the Thunder Fang would elevate her to another level.

If she had pulled it out right from the beginning, she could easily handle the Sword Demon.

She must know that better than anyone, yet she hadn’t summoned it even in this situation.

Even now, the Demon Sword Queen was merely amplifying her Thunder Qi.

She hadn’t switched weapons.

‘Should I intervene?’

I clenched my fist repeatedly, deep in thought.

Things were getting increasingly strange.

I looked toward the Demon Sword Queen.

Since my doubts weren’t limited to just the Thunder Fang.

‘Why me?’

Odd situations kept repeating themselves. It was true during the Sword Demon’s ambush and also when the Demon Sword Queen lashed out at me.

For some reason, it felt as if the Demon Sword Queen was shielding me.

‘…Could it be.’

Had she somehow figured out who I was?

‘No way, that can’t be!’

The idea that popped into my head was swiftly discarded. It was just nonsensical.

My appearance had changed, and the Technique of the Flame Wheel was deliberately sealed to erase my presence.

The Demon Sword Queen had no way to recognize me, and even if she did, it would be hard to believe.

‘Then why?’

I didn’t know. This uncertainty only deepened my questions.

Why was she doing this to me?

As I pondered various questions, the Sword Demon seemed ready to move again.

“Well then.”

She nodded slightly, preparing to act again.

“Let’s see the finale.”

Her killing intent mixed with her voice urged me to gather my energy.

This wasn’t the time to hold back the Flame.

Would I even be able to graze her? It was a scenario where the Demon Sword Queen must not die.

‘Damn it.’

The Sword Demon aimed her sword at the Demon Sword Queen, jumping once more.

As I was just about to unleash my own energy to prepare for intervention—

“Slice and kill her…!”

Boom—!

The Sword Demon’s head plunged into the wall with a fierce burst of madness.

“What…?”

The sound was entirely different from when the Demon Sword Queen had pushed her back earlier.

Crack crack crack—!!!

Thick cracks spread across the wall over a wide area.

Not just that.

The killing intent the Sword Demon had meticulously woven began to vanish like something was pulling it apart.

Crack—Crack.

Realizing this, I held my breath, but at the same time, came to a firm conclusion.

‘No, this isn’t being pulled apart.’

For others, maybe, but I definitely wouldn’t mistake this.

This wasn’t space being torn apart; it was being burned away.

Dark flames engulfed everything within the Sword Demon’s domain.

Ding.

“…!”

As the clear sound echoed, I turned my head, witnessing the Demon Sword Queen’s sword snap and drop.

Someone had broken the Demon Sword Queen’s weapon.

Staring at the half-broken blade that fell to the ground.

“I’ll ask first.”

A dry but weighty voice echoed from afar, drawing my gaze back.

The intense presence emanating from the voice could not be compared to the killing intent the Sword Demon had just shown.

The speaker had somehow pinned the Sword Demon against the wall.

Flames flickered at the man’s feet, as if they threatened to engulf the surroundings at any moment.

The air thickened.

Heat began to encircle the area.

With the Sword Demon trembling, her fingertips quivering in anguish—

The man’s purple eyes turned in my direction.

For reasons unknown, I instinctively shuddered at his gaze.

“What is going on right now?”

As the man’s voice resonated,

Flame Burst—!

The Black Flame began to pour from his entire being, filling the Great Hall.

 

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